a domestic perspective

Conklin Glider Series Fountain Pen

The Glider Chase Design is the latest of the Conklin writing instruments. Embedded into the surface of the fountain pen is a fascinating decorative texture. Pens in the 1900s were mainly from black rubber. A process of “chasing” was used to add texture and design to the otherwise plain look of the writing instruments. Because chasing took great skill and time to achieve it made the pens more valuable. Chasing is also referred to as Guilloché, from the French word.

Pens today are mainly made from resins rather than rubber allowing for more colors. On the Conklin Glider Series fountain pen the Rick-Rack Chase Design was selected because the wavy “C” pattern reminiscent of the Conklin name.

The Conklin Glider fountain pens is available in a cartridge/converter filler mechanism.

My dad gave me this pen for my birthday from his personal collection. I fell in love with the ivory and the rose gold accent and while the black version of this pen came off as very masculine, the ivory and rose gold version seemed very feminine. Or, at least it wouldn’t look too much like a man’s pen if a woman were using it.

It came packaged simply. It looks like it would be a heavy pen, but it’s actually a light pen with a wonderfully girthy body! The chasing makes it easier to write with for extended periods of time. Sometimes resin pens that are smooth become a hassle to use because my hand get sweaty.

This is a fine nib, but it in no way writes like one. I do not like fine nibs. For some reason, every fine nib I have used tends to be too scratchy. This fine nib writes like a medium and the ink flows extremely smooth! If I’m being honest, every ink I have used in this pen has shown qualities of shading that I had never seen in other pens I own. I don’t know if this is a standard feature, but the nib is a bit flexy. It’s not as stiff as some other pens, especially for a fine nib. I’m sure that’s why the ink in this pen becomes multifaceted.

My absolute favorite quality about this pen is the rose gold! It is a very classy touch against the ivory body!

This pen has quickly become one of my favorites! Even to the point where it finds its way into my EDC!